African Lion
|diet = }} |unlocked_by=Research |stars_needed= }} The African Lion (Panthera leo), or simply Lion is a large African felid. It is an adoptable animal in all three Zoo Tycoon installments. Description The African Lion is the second largest species of extant cat, after the tiger. Despite its name, the species could also originally be found Europe and Asia, although only a small population in India now exists outside Africa. The lion is easily identifiable by the prominent mane of hair around the neck region of males, which acts as an indication of how healthy an individual is, with a full, dark mane indicating that a lion is in his prime. Lions also feature a tuft of hair at the end of their tails, not seen in any other cat species. The African Lion can live in a variety of habitats, but is most common on the African Savannah. It is an apex predator, preying on a wide variety of animals, typically ungulates such as zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, gemsbok and giraffes. Unusually amongst cats, lions live in large groups, or "prides", consisting of a group of closely related females, their cubs and a few adult males who may or may not be related to each other. Lions will also often hunt in groups, with females doing most of the hunting. Zoo Tycoon The African Lion is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon and is available in the base game. In Freeform mode, it is one of eight animals of the base game that is initially available without research or downloading. It is present in a few scenarios, such as Saving The Great Cats. Lions are Savannah animals, but their enclosures nonetheless require some sand, dirt and fresh water to keep them happy. Although a single lion does not require much space, they prefer at least three animals in their enclosure to stay happy. Lions are also very easy to breed, so are a good source of income. The lion has its own enrichment item in the Lion Rock, of which there are small and large variations. Zoo Tycoon 2 The African Lion, simply named Lion, is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon 2. It is once again a savannah animal and requires 2.5 stars in order to be unlocked. Lions are able to hunt together as a pride and attack animals such as the Giraffe, Wildebeest, African Buffalo, Thomson's Gazelle, and Common Zebra. It is a carnivore and a swimmer. A number of toys and enrichment objects are available and guests enjoy watching lions play. Although they are predators, if kept happy with enough food and space, lions can share a large exhibit with most any of the other savannah animals. Two cubs are usually born after a gestation period of nineteen to twenty days. Maturity is reach in approximately 90 days. Males will breed with more than one lioness. Their average lifespan is 12-13 months. Zoo Tycoon (Xbox) In the Xbox edition of Zoo Tycoon, the African Lion is split into the West African Lion, Transvaal Lion, Masai Lion, Barbary Lion, Congo Lion, and Katanga Lion, in addition to the Asiatic Lion. Trivia *The African Lion has been traditionally split into numerous subspecies (including the Asiatic Lion, despite this subspcies not being African), although the validity of some of these subspecies has been questioned. The subspecies featured in the Xbox edition of Zoo Tycoon were the subspecies accepted as valid at the time. **A genetic study conducted in 2017 suggested there are two subspecies of lion, the northern and southern species. The traditional African lion represents the southern subspecies, and the founder of most modern purebred captive stock is from this subspecies. The Asiatic lion breeding program is based on the northern subspecies, which also includes the extinct Barbary lion. Category:Animals Category:Mammals Category:Felines Category:Zoo Tycoon animals Category:Zoo Tycoon 2 animals Category:Savannah animals Category:African animals Category:Carnivores Category:Official Zoo Tycoon animals Category:Official Zoo Tycoon 2 animals Category:Official animals Category:Lower risk animals Category:Zoo Tycoon (Xbox) animals Category:Zoo Tycoon 2013 animals Category:Carnivorous Animals Category:Big Cat Category:Zoo Tycoon 2 DS animals Category:Default Animals Category:Unlockable animals Category:Official Zoo Tycoon 2 DS Animals Category:Official Zoo Tycoon 2 DS Unlockable Animals Category:African Cats Category:Vulnerable animals Category:Lion Category:African Carnivores Category:African Mammals